I came here for my birthday since wanted to go with my girlfriend before they closed for good. Such a special Chapel Hill restaurant. It'll be missed. You could really tell the food was made with love. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Chicken - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

See all

This place is such an iconic part of the Chapel Hill experience! I hate to see it close this year! I'm sure it will be missed by many. I recently took my kids there for one last visit before it closed. While in law school, when I missed my mom's home cooking, I could always count on Mama Dip's for something tasty and familiar. I wanted them to experience my favorite Chapel Hill restaurant. On this last visit, it seemed like the food was a little less flavorful than it was back in the early 2000s, but it was still yummy. I especially enjoyed the cream cheese pound cake; it reminded me of my grandmother's cake! Thank you, Mama Dip's Kitchen, for creating wonderful memories for many! read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

See all

Mama Dip's delivers classic Southern charm in a traditional country diner scene. I wanted to try Mama Dip's out before they closed their doors after nearly five decades in business. I split a fried chicken plate with my friend and we both agree that the cooks timed it well. The breading was on the darker side but the meat was tender. My favorite side was their hushpuppies. My friend and I liked their tender cores. Their cornbread could be better. I appreciate our server timing her check-ins with gaps in our conversation. I settled on the European table service style and signaled her when we were ready to order and when we wanted water refills. Thanks, Mama Dip for delivering fine Southern food and charm to us first-timers. read more

I really wanted to try this place and like it, but our experience was underwhelming. The restaurant interior is similar to that of a local version of Cracker Barrel - I loved that! Our server was great as well and made sure to check in quite often I really enjoyed my dish, the actual fried pork chops. They were recommended and I would stick with other recommended items. Every other food item we ordered was on the mediocre side - almost all the sides and biscuits included. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Fried Pork Chops - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Used to be dynamite southern food at its best. Not anymore. Canned veggies & super high prices. RIP Mama Dip - miss you!! read more

This was a favorite dining spot of mine as a student at UNC-CH in the early 90s so we decided to visit and check out the menu 30+ years later. One of the great things is that the restaurant still looks the same as it did then, like a comfy grandmother's kitchen. and The menu hasn't changed much, either. I mean, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", right? The service was pretty quick and our waiter was a very nice young man. The food was still tasty with good size portions as well. If you are in the area and want a soul food meal, give them a try! read more

See all

The fried chicken was recommended to us. We didn't eat any sides: just chicken. Our experience: 1. DRY 2. No seasoning 3. Smallest chicken I have ever seen 4. Did I say DRY? Pass for us read more

I've heard of this place and was excited to give it shot. My 1st clue was that the bagel joint up the street was jammed packed. Mama Dips was empty, on a Saturday at 1 pm. 2nd clue was though they offered 2 menus (lunch and breakfast), you were only allowed to order off 1 menu. So my date ordered lunch, I ordered breakfast. Weird. Now to the food: Salmon Cakes were edible, but barely. Biscuits were horrible. Dry and hard. The cornbread was a major disappointment. Super dry and stale. Yuch! The smothered pork chops were actually quite good. Well seasoned and moist. But the eggs: how the hell do you mess up eggs? Honestly, I'd bet money they were powdered. They were GOD AWFUL. The sweet tea was watered down and tasted old. The yams clearly fell out of a can and were then doused with the cinnamon sugar. Give me a break. I'm sorry, but when I get better food at a Carolina Country Kitchen, or Bob Evans, or even freaking Waffle House, something is seriously wrong. When McDonald's makes a better biscuit than a supposed family-owned southern eatery, then said eatery needs a new family. The service was good, ample parking, and the place was clean. Hence the 2 stars. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - There's no way those eggs were scrambled from an egg with a shell. - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Mama Dip's Kitchen in Chapel Hill is only offers a "Saturday POP UP" due to staff shortages. Website doesn't inform potential customers of the limited services. read more

We went to this restaurant based on a positive article I read in Our State Magazine. We were all very disappointed in the quality of the food and service. The food was either too cold, dried out, or just tasted bad generally. It was a waste of time and money and we will never return. read more

We went to Mama Dip's restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. The food is terrible, the staff is awful and the entire restaurant is in need of updating. This wouldn't be so bad if the food was better. The chicken and dumplings were from a can, the biscuits were hard, dry and old. The rolls were from a package. I can not recommend this restaurant to anyone for any reason. Do not go to this restaurant, it will be a waste of money and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Plus the prices are way off based upon the quality of the food. JUST AWFUL, JUST AWFUL!! read more

The food quality can be VERY spotty. Our favorite is dark meat chicken and gravy. Sometimes the food is bland and dry, others it's perfect. It seems to have gotten more inconsistent since the original Mama Dip sadly passed away. It's still a legendary place in Chapel Hill but I hope they aren't forced to close. read more

CANNED COOKED NOT HOME COOKED My family and I have eaten here several times through the years but this time was HORRIBLE. The dumplings tasted like canned food with no flavor or seasoning and the waffle tasted like cornmeal and cardboard. The cook did take time to come to our table but only to aggressively defend her cooking. The dumplings were taken off the bill but we were charged for the sides individually (although untouched and not eaten). When we asked the manger why the sides weren't taken off since they were a part of the meal, we were told that the cook said not to take them off the bill. WOW read more

We had a good experience at Mama Dip's while in town checking out UNC. Service was good. Ambiance is nothing too exciting. Food was good. The Fried Chicken was good. The biscuits and mashed potatoes were decent, not great. The Zucchini casserole which was on the special menu was the star of the show. I would come again when in Chapel Hill. read more

Over the years I have eaten at Mama Dip's in Chapel Hill only to see the kitchen go downhill. This last time was the worst! I had bbq dark meat chicken it was covered in a watery skin and topped with bbq sauce. The sauce looked like they spooned it on top of the boiled chicken (if it was bbq it was stored in water for a long time). I had a dinner roll that was store bought and stale. I had two sides, okra and tomatoes and beans (they were from a can enough said). The kitchen was clean my waitress Abigail was good. She asked me if I liked my meal I said no she told her supervisor who than came to my table asking what I wanted! I had asked for a cornbread which she brought ( cornbread looked like a sheet cake and without much taste). My husband and I had two meals expensive for we got $43.15. I wouldn't mind the cost if it was the quality of food they USED to have. Very dissatisfied! read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - My meal at Mama Dip's 12/18/21 - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Mama Dip's feel like a home away from home. The food will literally warm your heart. Good southern food great service, and even better desserts. The place is so clean you can eat off the table *lol* . If you're ever in chapel hill & want some good southern food this is the place to stop to eat. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Pecan Pie - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

What a shock and disappointment to be treated very rudely in such a legendary restaurant. I was behind a person who ordered $280 of take-out food. I asked for a take-out order for Friday evening (two days away) that included 16 pieces of chicken and some sides. The staff was confused despite my showing them the item on the menu, so they called a manager "Anderson" to the register. She heard my order request and said "We aren't doing that, no, we just aren't going to do that". And she turned and walked away. Ironically, there is a sign near the register that asks patrons to have patience with their staff members because they are short-staffed. Clearly, the management of Mama Dip's is not interested in treating their customers with the same respect or kindness that they would like to be treated with, as the rudeness of this staff member was appalling. I didn't think this order was a big ask, especially since the person in front of me placed a much larger order to carry out. I could have placed the order earlier in the week, but they were closed Monday and Tuesday. I understand the holidays can be stressful, but this level of response was completely inappropriate. All in all, a horrible experience at Mama Dip's. I will not be returning. read more

The comfort food I didn't know I needed!!! We stopped here for the first time over the weekend. The food was so good I forgot to take pictures! I had the chicken and dumplings and my husband had the bbq sandwich and Brunswick stew. Hand down the best chicken and dumplings and Brunswick stew we've ever had. We were there for late lunch and said oh we'll just eat half of our meals so we have room for dinner. It was so good we couldn't stop eating!!! I wish they sold the chicken and dumplings and Brunswick stew in quart containers to take home. If so, we would have definitely bought some to go home with. We can't wait to come back!!! read more

Food tastes horrible. It's days old. It's from a can. It's not southern food. And the service absolutely sucks!!! The hostess has an attitude problem. read more

Well, this last visit will really be the last visit, unless it's for breakfast. We arrived just after 11 AM, having decided we should try lunch here one more time, bypassing a number of great lunch choices in CH. It took over 30 minutes to get our order, in a restaurant with a total of 8 people in it, 6 of which were finishing up breakfast when we walked in! Alice went with the Chicken & Dumplings, sides of Squash Casserole and Turnip Greens, and I opted for a combo of Fried Chicken and BBQ Pork with Fried Okra and Cole Slaw. Our bread choices were Corn Bread & Biscuits. We chose to end the meal with Strawberry Short Cake. The Chicken & Dumplings were very, very good - not Bum's in Ayden good, but good. And the Strawberry Short Cake was good, but everything else was at best average, and much was below that. The Fried Chicken was either oven baked or reheated (my bet is on reheated), and if you check previously posted pictures of FC vs my pictures you will understand - bad stuff. The BBQ Pork is minced to to texture of mush, and has a sweet, awful sauce on it. The Fried Okra was good, but the slaw was terrible, and both bread choices were dry and crumbly, turnip greens were tasteless, and the squash casserole was as much breading as squash. Total for our 2 lunches was just under $42 for what was horrible food, for the most part. Will not do this again. read more

See all

Let me begin by saying 2 stars is being kind. We were visiting our son at UNC and decided to try this restaurant. We got there when it opened and had to wait an extra 20 minutes because their staff didn't show up. Then a woman named Sissy I believe, kept saying be patient in a very condescending tone. My son offered to get an extra chair for her and she was very rude to him. She continued to speak to us rudely. The food wasn't that good either. The biscuits were hard as bricks. Do not recommend because of their customer service and mediocre food. read more

This is the place to go for an authentic North Carolina bbq experience. The pork was delicious, with a vinegar based sauce. The fried chicken and biscuit is everything you'd want. The service is outstandingly friendly. The banana pudding is next level - served warm!! Don't miss it. read more

See all

Down here from NY I figured I had to try a "soul food" spot. Well needless to say my wife and daughter were completely underwhelmed as was I. My daughter ordered smothered pork chops with collards and mash with gravy. She said the chops had been fried to hard the mash had no taste and the cornbread was waaay to hard. Wifey had the catfish and shrimp and enjoyed the catfish and only ate 2 of the 6 shrimp. I ate the rest. She also had the mash and was disappointed and she ordered string beans which she said tasted right outta a can. My order of bbq chicken & rib combo was 4 outta 10. The chicken was ok but the ribs were very small and the sauce was literally ketchup and vinegar. The potato salad was good and the collards were ok. The service was decent but the hostess/manager was extremely rude to the waitresses in my opinion. She berated them in the open in front of customers. Not a good look. Overall I give this spot 2 stars. read more

See all

Who duh thunk that Wandell be a'disappearin' forever? Not Wandell! He knows where he's been this whole time, and I'm keeping that a SECRET! Hush hush a-mush! So even though Wandell be born and raised in Gary, Indiana, Wandell knows a thing about good food. And that's a rarity in Gary, Indiana, where the best kind of foods is what you be gettin' at Mickey-D's without being shot with all our guns and violence. Maybe Gary should have a good gravy restaurant: Gary Gravy! But lord am I not openin' that kind of place where the economy be as depressing as a wilty slice of puddin' pie. Speaking of depressing, Chapel Hill ain't be that. It's all perky and new and high end and full of youth with all those youth being around the university. Wandell be having a good ol' time down here. Tar Heels, Tar Heels, rah rah rah! Or some kind of wonderful like that. Now where does Wandell go be eating on this dreary ol' cold day!? (When did that depressing Gary, Indiana, weather be coming down south!?). Well, little did you all know, Wandell be eating from a list across America about the best fried chicken. And how convenient that little ol' Chapel Hill be having one of them places on the list!? Mama Dips be on there! And you know Wandell need to be up all on what's hot. But you know what ain't hot after all?? Mama Dips! Wandell be walking in all sly and nice, and there ain't no waiters taking a nice ol' Wandell to his table. Waiting waiting wait wait a mate! Oh lord! Am I even in the right place?? Is it being open? I see people waiting there, but nobody is coming with a smiling face to bring me to a booth and/or table. Bless be the heart of the patient as someone come and get me! Phew! Close one. Now you know Wandell be needing that fried chicken. Lord all mighty! Best fried chicken in a homey style Southern joint? That's a recipe for success! I might need to ask for their recipe to make some of that at home. 40 minutes! I kid you not! After Wandell order from a real nice gentleman in CAROLINA Blue, it take 40 minutes (!!!!!!!!!) for ma mama dip chicken to come out. Oh lawd! Now I know a Wandell like me is used to them fast ol fast food restayrants from Gary, Indiana, but I don't think it's too much to have chicken come out in under 20 minutes, cooked fresh. Fried chicken take but what...11? 12? minutes to make FORM SCRATCH!??? Who knows. WHO knows. Nobody know! And Macky-mac and cheese and greens should already be done and a ready to spoon over. Good LORD! What do we have here? Half my coating is gone. I aint asked for fried chicken meat only. Nevertheless, I take a big ol' CRUNCH!!! What the!? Salt? No salt!!!! Who don't use no salt! Just grease! Dry chicken and GREASE! You think all that grease would lubricate something and balance it all out. So strange. Oh lawd... Needless to say, I drown it in Texas Pete (made in Winston-Salem, North Carolina). That be its only redeeming quality. Mac and cheese have no cheese flavor! And greens have the consistence of frozen spinach. Good lord whats going on here... And prices!!! I paid like $20 to waste an hour of my life on the blandest food ever. Oh lrod, this shouldn't be happenin'. This shouldn't be happening at ALL. What's goin' on Chapel Hill? Fried Chicken in Carolina is on my mind, and I'm served with ome of that stuff that even KFC would reject. Lord have mercy. Now all you know Wandell is fair as a square. But I can't in my good conscious give this place for a 1*. How it made a list other than the the worst food in America is beyond Wandell's comprehension. That original ol' Mama must be crying in her grave now. Gary Gravy would outclass it in every way. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Someone need a frying class. - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

We could hardly find the catfish under all the heavy breading. The greens tasted like doctored up canned greens. I was embarrassed with my out of town "foodie" cuz here. Someone isn't seeing to the quality of the food. read more

Was very disappointed. Was praying for god southern cooking like my Mama made but got Denny's instead. Bread/biscuits were stale. Fried chicken flavorless. Vegetable casserole (zucchini) was mush. Mashed potatoes pastey. Only good thing was the coleslaw which was excellent and the only reason I didn't give just one star. I can't imagine Mama Dip being happy with how her restaurant is being handled nowadays. read more

Best things to order: Appetizer Sampler- fried zucchini, pickles, fried green tomatoes, cheddar broccoli Fried chicken Yams Peach Cobbler Service was excellent and quick. Loved that it was spacious and quiet (no loud music playing). And everyone there was having a great time, laughing, chatting with friends and family. The decor is very charming and homey. read more

I was excited to support an establishment with such legacy! However the food lacked seasoning and was extremely overpriced! To add insult to injury the manager CiCi came across nice/nasty. The staff seemed to be intimated by her, but were way more pleasant. This establishment has great potential! However for me... I won't be returning anytime in the near future. read more

Great location! Was hungry and ready to eat!! Ordered the 2 pork chops, gravy on the side, black eyed peas and greens...peas were undercooked and had zero, none, nada nice pea juice surrounding them, aka blah!!! The crispy fried pork chops, well the crisp was all in the plate completely detached, which I believe comes from breading them while wet....Where they do that at??!! Greens were good cornbread too. I can cook better soul food; and either one of my sisters would put Dip to shame!!! Thought about dessert, but it was cut too thin fa me... are we at the usher boards Annual Tea?...I think Sam Jackson is in the kitchen read more

No matter what I've tried on the menu I always leave happy and often with some leftovers. Mama Dip's knows how to bring out the comfort food any day of the week! This time I had the smothered pork chops and should have paid attention when reading the menu (the plural in pork chops)! I was surprised when the plate arrived with two very large chops on it. I couldn't possibly eat it all and leave room for dessert too. I had the butter beans and squash casserole with it and I don't think one item on my plate was better than the other, it was all delicious! I topped it off with peach cobbler and ice cream. I ended up bringing half of it home too along with some of my sides and one chop, so had a nice lunch the next day. I forgot to mention the bread basket, cornbread, biscuit and yeast rolls all went quickly too. How is it that I don't get here more often?! The service was friendly and quick. You just can't go wrong with a visit to Mama Dips! read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Delicious buttermilk salad dressing. - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Well I'm thorougly dissapointed. I called earlier today to get the hours and was told they close at 7:00. I get there just before 6 after driving from Durham, parking lot had a few cars. I thought that's strange. I see a customer getting in his car and asked are they closed? He says yes, they told him to get there a little before 6. It'll be a long time before I make that drive again. Sorry Mama Dip's. read more

I really wanted to like this place. I'd heard mixed reviews and because of that, I never went. However, my father in laws birthday dinner was here the other day, so I finally got a chance to try this! Let's just get to it... the food was not good at all. This is supposed to be a soul food restaurant but it had absolutely NO soul whatsoever. I got the 1/2 BBQ chicken, potato salad, and mac and cheese. The chicken... no seasoning. I mean NONE. It was like they just put bbq sauce on the chicken and baked it. Flavorless. The mac and cheese was runny, not put together at all, not cheesy, no seasoning. Bland. Same for the potato salad. No seasonings at all. The cornbread was dry and tasteless. My husband got chicken, mashed potatoes and yams. The only thing good were the yams. My step-son got chicken and dumplings, runny and gross he didn't even eat them. And my mother in law had hair in her food. Smh. To top all this off, we brought our own cake since they didn't have any and they charged us $1 per plate just to use it. After they over charged for the terrible food. I'll honestly never go back. I mean... if you like tasteless, unseasoned food you may like it. But I'm from the south south where my mom and grandma season food like champs! This doesn't even compete. read more

Good home cooking ( southern style) . Known for their fried chicken. Mama has passed. We haven't been there in over three years.

Had wanted to eat at Mama Dips for years based upon recommendations from friends when Mama Dip was alive and running the show. Finally was visiting Chapel Hill and went for lunch. Was immediately shocked by the prices on the Menu. Order of HushPuppies(8)-$7.50 Gouging personified ! Everything is way overpriced. The small servings were good but the cost for 2 lunches was $45.00 and change including tip. Crazy !!! The reason ? Mama Dip's daughter is running the show and most of the employees are family members. The Dip Family Restaurant looks like a Family ATM Machine.. No way would Mama Dip have condoned gouging her customers. Will never go back or recommend eating there. read more

Alright. I was sketchy with the review. But my patient told me this is best in town so our whole family went. Went I walked in, I was a little apprehensive. Looked like a cafeteria. Got sat down and my life changed. Food: We went straight for chicken, fried chicken that is. All I can say is- yes, I've been thinking about it for several weeks until I forgot about em. I regretted ordering the dumpling stuff. I mean the dumpling was good but fried chicken was finger licking damn good. Ordered cornbread was alright. Biscuit with butter and honey.. I've been dreaming of mama dips wings and can't wait for my next visit there. Price: Umm. Kind of pricy for fried chicken. But I guess suckers like me will think it's well worth it Service: Very nice, catering staff. Super helpful and courteous. read more

Grilled salmon cake - 2 stars Way too mushy, couldn't finish it. Lima beans - 2.5 stars Kinda bland and mushy. Turnip greens - 2.5 stars Mushy but okay. Mac and cheese - 2.5 stars Decent. read more

In town on a busy Saturday. Stopped in for my annual treat: Chicken and Dumplings, yams, greens and cheesy Mac and Cheese. I was very delighted that yet, even still 25 years later, my tummy was happy! Oh, and the people are so warm and friendly. Cissy is just as warm and earnest as she's always been, in spite of the short staff. Some of the reviews complaining about the food, people and prices are incredulous. Have you seen gas prices lately? Trickle down effect - supply and staff shortages are real, EVERYWHERE. People are running ragged trying to keep up with it all- post COVID. My bill was NOT unreasonable whatsoever. I can't wait to go back. However, Eli said that he's going back to college in the fall, so they may be down a staffer or two.. Good people deserve to be supported, particularly when they deliver a solid product in return. read more

Food wasn't tasty at all ,I ordered chicken and dumplings no flavor small portion for the price,the customer service was good .the ambiance was ok read more

If you're looking for good country cooking, this not the place. I ordered their chicken fried steak, rice and gravy, and squash casserole. My mom ordered the veggie plate with black eyed peas, green beans, and butter beans. Everything was bland and the veggies tasted like they came right out of the can without any thought of adding that delicious southern seasoning. I think this place was great once upon a time because the front entrance is decorated in awards and recognition. That time may have passed or our visit was just an off day, but we were sadly disappointed. I give this two stars because the cornbread was delicious and the chicken fried steak was very crispy. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Vegetable plate - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Not quite sure why people lauded this place so much. My wife had the beef stew ($12) and it was cold and had to be sent back. Seasoning appears to have been discretionary. After adding liberal amounts of salt and pepper it became flavored. My son had the chicken tenders, and they were tasty. The hush puppies were good. I had the chicken and dumplings. And like the beef stew, not very flavorful. And the collards were canned, they weren't "Morning Glory". They were "pigless". The pecan pie was okay, for the cost the slices could of been larger. The service was really good, even if there were two vans full of church ladies. All in all, go there so you can say that you went. Just don't expect to be wowed read more